Wrist braced slingshot

ABSTRACT

A slingshot having a pistol grip type handle for grip having a yoke or crotch with flexible members attached to the arms of the yoke and to a pad or holder for a missile or projectile. Extending from the bottom of the pistol grip is a brace which extends rearwardly and has a curved part that fits over the arm or wrist of the user so as to securely brace and stabilize the slingshot in use. The brace is spring held and adjustable within the handle between positions, one of which allows pivotal aiming adjustment of the pistol grip relative to the brace. The brace may be frictionally held within the handle, thus preventing rotation of the handle with respect to the brace.

United States Patent 11 1 Woolsey et al.

1451 Aug. 26, 1975 1 1 WRIST BRACED SLINGSI-IOT [75] Inventors: RobertWoolsey, Irvine; Wallace C.

Kerr, La Habra, both of Calif.

52 us. (:1. 124/20 R; 124/30 R 51 im. c1. F41b 7/00 58 Field 61 Search124/20 R, 20 A, 20 B, 30 R;

273/84, 81 R, 75, 67 R, 81 B, 67 A, 67 DA;

3,812,834 5/1974 Saunders 124/20 R Primary Examirier-Richard J ApleyAssistant Exan'zinerWilliam R. Browne Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Don B.Finkelstein 57 ABSTRACT A slingshot having a pistol grip type handle forgrip having a yoke or crotch with flexible members attached to the armsof the yoke and to a pad or holder for a missile orprojectile. Extendingfrom the bottom of the pistol grip is a brace which extends rearwardlyand has a curved part that fits over the arm or wrist of the user so asto securely brace and stabilize the slingshot in use. The brace isspring held and adjustable within the handle between positions, one ofwhich allows pivotal aiming adjustment of the pistol grip rela tive tothe brace. The brace may be frictionally held within the handle, thuspreventing rotation of the handle with respect to the brace.

5 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures WRIST BRACED SLINGSI-IOT BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to theslingshot art and more particularly to an improved slingshot having awrist brace.

2. Description of thePn'or Art Typical slingshots have long been knownand the average youth having at some time in his life built one himself,usually using a crotch cut from a branch of a tree and using rubberbands formed as strips from old innertubes. However, such prior artslingshots did not provide a wrist brace to insure greater accuracy inthe use thereof. In other prior art slingshots, if a wrist brace wereprovided, it was neither adjustable nor removable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention is an improved form of slingshotof the type adapted for ease of fabrication and commercial production.

Basically the invention embodies a hand grip, preferably in the form ofa pistol grip, from which extends a yoke or a crotch to which areattached the flexible members which preferably are rubber tubularmembers at the ends of which are attached the pad holder or pouch whichholds the missile or projectile.

A particular and unique improvement in the invention is that a wrist orarm brace is provided in the form of a rod detachably mountable byfrictional retention securement means on the hand grip and extendingfrom the lower end of the pistol grip of the slingshot. This wrist bracerod extends rearwardly and has a curved part which fits over the arm orwrist of the user. The brace which engages firmly on the top of thewrist stabilizes the slingshot and enables the user to hold it firmlyand steadily and thereby'aim and discharge the missile or projectilemore accurately. In one embodiment the support brace is adjustablebetween two positions and in one of which the pistol grip is free forlimited lateral rotation relative to the wrist brace to provide foradditional aiming capabilities, and in the other provides rigid bracing.The slingshot thereby becomes a significant and dependable weapon foruse in hunting or target shooting.

A primary object is to make possible and to realize firmer and morestable holding of the hand grip of the slingshot and to relieve theamount of tension exerted on the hand by way of the above-describedbrace which extends rearwardly and fits over the wrist or arm thusrestraining rearward pull on the yoke or crotch of the slingshot.

In a preferred exemplary form of the invention as described in detailherein, the hand grip is preferably formed as a pistol grip type adaptedfor easy and firm holding. Preferably the grip is formed from plastic insections adapted for fabrication by injection molding processes the twosections being held together, for example, by screws. Preferably thewrist brace is detachable from the slingshot for convenience in storingand transporting by the user and is formed from a metal rod with an endpart extending into the bottom of the pistol grip with a spring detentmeans to establish its two adjustable positions in one of which the handgrip is free for limited lateral rotation for aiming. Further objectsreside in the realization of the simplified form of pistol type grip andsimplified holding means for holding the wrist brace in its twopositions, and for removal of the wrist brace in those embodiments whereadjustable positions thereof are not utilized.

Further objects and additional advantages of the invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description and annexed drawingswherein:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a preferred form of the invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are views of the yoke or crotch;

FIG. 4 is a view of the wrist brace member;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the front half of the hand grip;

FIG. 6 is an interior view of the front half of the hand FIG. 7 is asectional view of the rear half of the pistol p FIG. 8 is an interiorview of the rear half of the pistol p;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line 99 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line l010 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along the line 11l1 of FIG. 8;

FIGS. 12 and 13 are views of the detached spring that holds the wristbrace; and

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a wrist braceuseful in the practice of the invention.

Referring now more in detail to the drawings and particularly FIG. 1,the pistol grip handle is shown at 10. The yoke or crotch is designatedby the numeral 12. The wrist brace is designated by the numeral 14. Theyoke has two arms as shown having rearwardly extending parts 16 and 18to which are attached flexible members which, in the preferred form ofthe invention, are rubber tubes as designated at 20 and 22. The ends ofthese tubes are attached to a leather pouch 26 which holds the missileor projectile.

The yoke or crotch 12 is shown in detail in FIGS. 2 and 3. In thepreferred form of the invention it comprises two rod pieces 30 and 32bent as shown and welded or soldered together at points, two of whichare designated at 34. Numeral 36 designates a hole through the stems ofthe two pieces for attachment of the pistol grip by way of a screw inthe pistol grip. Preferably the tubular members 20 and 22 may beattached to the extending ends 16 and 18 simply by being tightly fittedover them. The pouch 26 is preferably attached to the tubular members 20and 22 by plastic webs 40 and 42 which pass through slits or openings inthe pouch 26 with the ends of these webs welded together and pro-' videdwith enlarging ribs which tightly fit into the tubular members 20 and22.

The wrist brace 14 is shown in detail in FIG. 4 and 'is detachablyinsertable in the pistol grip 10 as described below. It is formedpreferably of a metal having a part 46 that extends up into the bottomof the pistol grip 10. The end of this part being flattened as shown at47 and having two side detent notches 48 and 49 which will be referredto again presently. The brace 14 has a transversely extending part 51and a portion 52 that extends rearwardly in a position adjacent to thewrist and at the end of this spot is a curved or looped part 53positioned to fit over the top of the arm or wrist and preferably thiscurved part has fitted over it a piece of soft cushioning tubularmaterial 54 so that it will be comfortable on the wrist.

The pistol grip 10 is preferably formed in sections by plastic injectionmolding process. The two sections are secured together by screws. FIGS.5 and 6 show the front half or section 60 which is configurated andshown at 61 to fit or conform to the fingers of the user. As may be seenit is rounded at the top and bottom as designated at 62 and 63 and thesides are concavely bowed inwardly as may be seen in FIG. 6. As may beseen in the interior view of FIG. 6 there are vertical webs 64, 65 and66. There are transverse webs 67, 68 and 69. Numerals 70 and 71designate screw holes whereby the front and rear sections are securedtogether as will be described. Numeral 74 designates a slot or groove inthe transverse web 68. Numeral 75 designates an aligned groove in ashort transverse web 76. These grooves meet with similar grooves in therear half section as will be described and are adapted to receive in oneof two positions the end part 46 and flattened portion 47 of the wristbrace 14.

FIGS. 12 and 13 show a flat metal detent spring 80 having a right anglepart 81 and a detent bend 82 at one end. This spring normally occupies aposition as shown in FIG. 6. Its end with the flange or bend part 81fitting between the screw in screw hole 71 and a vertical web part 83there being a mutually cooperating part in the rear section of the handgrip as will be described which cooperate in holding the detent spring80, the bend end part or detent part 82 of which cooperates with thenotches 48 and 49 in the end 46 of the wrist brace 14 as will bedescribed.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show the rear half or section of the pistol grip this partbeing designated at 90. It is convexly curved rearwardly as designatedat 91 and is curved at the top and bottom as designated at 92 and 93.FIG. 8 is an interior view of the rear section. FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 arecross-sectional views at the levels indicated by the section lines inFIG. 8. This section has a vertical web 96 and lower vertical web 97. Ithas transverse webs 97, 98, 99 and 100 the webs being positioned to bejuxtaposed against, that is, to cooperate with the corresponding webspreviously described in the front section 60. Numerals 101 and 102designate screw holes that line or register with the screw holes 70 and71 of the front half to receive small bolts that go through these holesand receive small nuts that fit into countersinks or courterbores 103and 104 in the front section as may be seen in FIG. 5. The bores 101 and102 have similar counterbores as designated at 107 and 108 to receivethe heads of the screws that hold the two sections together. It will beappreciated that self tapping screws, rivets or other similar means maybe utilized in place of the nuts and bolts.

Numeral 112 designates a slot in a part of the web 98 which correspondsto the slot 74 of FIG. 6, these slots being juxtaposed together when theparts are assembled. Numeral 113 designates a similar aligned slot inthe web 99 which corresponds to and is juxtaposed with respect to theslot 75 of FIG. 6 so that aligned slot openings are provided aspreviously described to receive the end 46 of the wrist brace 14 thedetent bend 82 at the end of the detent spring 80 cooperating with oneof the notches 48 or 49 of the end part 46 of the wrist brace 14. In theupper adjusted position of the wrist brace the flattened end 47 isreceived and frictionally retained in a correspondingly shaped openingformed by the juxtaposed slots 112 and 74 in the rear and front sectionsof the end grip and when received in this slot the end grip cannot berotated laterally relative to the wrist brace but is held firmly. In theupper position of the detent bend 82 spring is in the notch 49. In thelower position of the wrist brace the detent bend 82 on spring 80 is inthe upper notch 48 in the end part 46 of the wrist brace 14. In thelower position the flattened end 47 is not in the slot-like hole oropening 1 12 and 74 provided for it and in this position the hand grip10 can be rotated laterally a limited amount relative to the wrist bracefor purposes of accommodating more perfect aiming.

FIG. 14 illustrates another embodiment of a wrist brace, generallydesignated 120, useful in the practice of the present invention. Thewrist brace is generally similar to the wrist brace 14 shown in FIG. 4except that the detent notches 48 and 49 are omitted. The flattened endportion 122 is identical to the flattened end portion 47 of theembodiment 14.

The wrist brace 120 is detachably insertable in and may be utilized withthe structure described above, the flattened end portion 122 beingreceived in the slot-like openings 112 and 74 for frictional retentiontherein. Thus, the wrist brace embodiment 120 does not provide the twoposition feature of the embodiment 14 but only the single positioncorresponding to the upper adjusted position. The spring 80 may beomitted if desired when utilizing the wrist brace 120.

Thus, both the wrist brace 14 and wrist brace 120 are detachablyinsertable and removable so that, when desired, such as for storing,transporting, etc., the wrist brace may be removed to provide a morecompact arrangement.

From the foregoing those skilled in the art will readily understand thenature and construction of the invention and the manner in which itrealizes and achieves all of the objects as set forth in the foregoing.The slingshot is used like the regular known slingshot but the uniqueimproved features provided by way of the detachably mountable wristbrace which, as described, fits over the wrist to stabilize theinstrument for more perfect holding and aiming and for relieving theforce on the hand holding the hand grip; that is, the force exerted bythe flexible members on the yolk or crotch.

The foregoing disclosure is representative of preferred forms of theinvention and is to be interpreted in an illustrative rather than alimiting sense, the invention to be accorded the full scope of theclaims appended hereto.

We claim:

1. A slingshot comprising a yolk having a hand grip, flexible membershaving a missle pouch connected to the yolk, wrist brace means forresisting twisting of the hand grip, said means being frictionallydetachably mountable in the hand grip and having an end portionextending rearwardly from the hand grip and having a part engageable ona users wrist, said hand grip having a frictional retention securementmeans for providing the detachable securement of the wrist brace, andthe frictional retention securement means permitting a plurality offrictionally retained adjustable positions of the hand grip with respectto the wrist brace, and at least one of the plurality of adjustedpositions of the hand rotatable position with respect to said hand grip.

5. The slingshot as in claim 1 wherein said frictional retentionsecurement means further comprises a flattened portion on said wristbrace detachably insertable in said hand grip, and a slot means in saidhand grip for frictionally engaging said flattened portion in at leastanother of said plurality of adjusted positions thereof, wherebyrelative rotation of the wrist brace means with respect to the hand gripis prevented

1. A slingshot comprising a yolk having a hand grip, flexible membershaving a missle pouch connected to the yolk, wrist brace means forresisting twisting of the hand grip, said means being frictionallydetachably mountable in the hand grip and having an end portionextending rearwardly from the hand grip and having a part engageable ona user''s wrist, said hand grip having a frictional retention securementmeans for providing the detachable securement of the wrist brace, andthe frictional retention securement means permitting a plurality offrictionally retained adjustable positions of the hand grip with respectto the wrist brace, and at least one of the plurality of adjustedpositions of the hand grip permitting the latter to rotate relative tothe wrist brace, and the part of the wrist brace engageable with auser''s body steadies and stabilizes the slingshot when in use.
 2. Aslingshot as in claim 1 wherein said frictional retention securement forthe securement of the wrist brace to the hand grip further comprisesdetent means on said wrist brace and a spring means on said hand gripfor engaging said detent means.
 3. The slingshot as in claim 2 whereinsaid detent means further comprises a preselected plurality of detentscorresponding in number to the plurality of adjusted positions thereof.4. The slingshot as in claim 3 wherein at least one of said adjustedpositions of said wrist brace is a non-rotatable position with respectto said hand grip.
 5. The slingshot as in claim 1 wherein saidfrictional retention securement means further comprises a flattenedportion on said wrist brace detachably insertable in said hand grip, anda slot means in said hand grip for frictionally engaging said flattenedportion in at least another of said plurality of adjusted positionsthereof, whereby relative rotation of the wrist brace means with respectto the hand grip is prevented.